Autumn Gold

Walking through the sugar bush in autumn is amazing. The sugar bush is another term for a wooded area filled with maple trees used for maple sugar, and maple trees are known for their beautiful Fall color. One of my favorite places to explore in autumn is this particular sugar bush at the Chelberg Farm in northwest Indiana. The farm is part of the Indiana Dunes National Park, and a huge contrast to the beaches and lakeshore most people think of when they hear about the dunes.

These hills are dunes, long ago deposited by the wind and waves of a then much larger Lake Michigan. Over time, the grasses gave way to trees and the falling leaves helped create a more fertile soil to support more types of trees. The trees in this area were most likely planted by the early farming people like the Chelbergs to produce maple syrup. 

The sugar shack can be seen at the top left of the image. This is where the maple sap was boiled until a good portion of the water evaporated, creating maple syrup. Tours of the sugar shack are given every March during the prime sap collection time.

Hiking the winding, hilly trails of the sugar bush is absolutely beautiful in the Fall. This area has to be the most colorful of the entire park, and certainly worth the visit.